In this issue:
The Truth of The Gospel
David Clayton
The gospel is the central teaching
of Christianity. In fact, we may rightly say that there is no truth
contained in the Bible which does not find its center in the gospel. The
word “gospel” signifies “good news,” and this focus on good news is
what separates Christianity from every other religion. While other
religions focus on how we can find a path to God, Christianity proclaims
that God has made a path to us and dealt with all the factors which
separated us from Him.
Fundamentals of the gospel
It is through His Son, Jesus Christ that God has brought mankind back
to himself. By the incarnation, life, death and present ministry of
Christ, God has removed all the barriers which stood in the way of
humanity being fully reconciled to Himself. The work of Christ on our
behalf may be briefly summarized in the following four points:
a) God’s love for us was revealed in the gift of Christ. (John 3:16)
b) Christ revealed God by the life which He lived. (John 1:18; 1 John 5:20)
c) Christ passed through our experiences so that He could represent us. (Heb. 2:16, 17)
d) Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins. (Rom. 6:8; 1 Cor. 15:3; Heb. 2:14)
Let us take note of each of these points. It is most important that we
recognize the significance of what Christ has done. This is the gospel.
Without these four points the whole of our faith is a vain, meaningless
exercise. It is a failure to recognize these points, to believe them
and to come to grips with them which has led to the impotent,
frustrating sham which today passes for Christianity in much of
Christendom.
Satan’s primary objective
In order for Satan to prevent the overthrow of his kingdom and keep
his subjects (humanity) in bondage, his first objective had to be to
prevent Christ from fulfilling His mission. His most persistent and
earnest efforts were put forth to prevent Jesus from fulfilling the four
above-mentioned tasks. If he had been able to do this, mankind could
never have been reconciled to God and so, Satan concentrated all his
efforts on stopping the work of Christ. This he attempted to do for the
entire duration of Jesus’ life, from the manger to the grave.
First, he tried to destroy him when he was born, then he hounded him
for every moment of his life, attempting to provoke him to such an
extent that he would display some characteristic which was not
consistent with God’s nature of love. Something which would have
revealed that there are flaws in the character of God and that He is a
person who cannot be trusted to do what is right when He is put under
pressure. Later, as Jesus approached the moment of His death, Satan did
everything possible through the enemies of Christ and even through His
disciples to turn Him away from His purpose. Even while He hung dying on
the cross Satan desperately attempted to move Him from His purpose with
the taunts of the passersby,
“He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel,
let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He
trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he
said, I am the Son of God.” (Mat 27:42-43)
Satan’s next best move
All these efforts of the enemy were defeated by the Son of God. Jesus
demonstrated conclusively that the essence of God’s nature is
self-sacrificing love and that all the pain and suffering in the
universe cannot turn God away from the way of love and mercy. Yet in
spite of this, Satan’s battle was not finished. He did not lay down arms
and surrender when Jesus finished His work on earth. Though Christ was
out of his reach, he could still continue the fight by assaulting the
subjects of Christ here on earth. We are familiar with the record of his
atrocities against the people of God. Millions have been cruelly
tortured and murdered in the most dreadful ways by men who were the
agents of Satan in seeking to turn the people of God away from His
service.
Yet Satan’s success by using persecution was only limited. He has
worked in another less direct and far more cunning way and has achieved
far greater success in destroying the faith of the people of God.
Though Jesus has faithfully and perfectly carried out His work on
man’s behalf, if Satan can prevent people from believing, and therefore
benefiting from these key truths he will, to all intents and purposes,
make the work of Christ of none effect! If he could present an idea
which would lead to the conclusion, or suggest that Jesus’ work was not
genuinely what it appeared to be, or that it might have been a sham, if
he could somehow get Christians (of all people!) to believe in something
which would undermine their faith in the reality of Jesus’ great
achievements on their behalf, then he would nullify the effectiveness of
Christ’s work.
Christ has done all this for man, but if man will not believe and
accept what has been done, the work of Christ will avail nothing! It is
here that Satan implemented his next best plan and has had marvelous
success in carrying it out.
Satan could not prevent Christians from professing the four great
truths contained in the gospel. The Bible statements are too plain for
any professing Christian to openly deny these truths. However, it does
not really matter what we profess if in their hearts we really believe
something else. Our behaviour is determined by what we really believe
rather than by what we profess to believe. Therefore because of
believing falsehood in their hearts, while professing the truth,
Christians would be unable to benefit from what Christ did, even though
the work had been accomplished.
Christ is the center of the gospel. he is the heart of all that the
Bible stands for. He is the only hope of mankind. Whatever opposes Him
and obscures His work is the most dangerous enemy of God and humanity.
Nothing else can be as destructive. The Bible has coined a word to
describe such an enemy – a word which represents that which is most to
be feared of all opponents of the gospel. This fearsome word is,
antichrist. In it is embodied all that is most harmful to the cause of
God.
The Papacy has been identified for many centuries as the great
antichrist of Bible prophecy. Even before the time of the protestant
reformation, holy men saw in this paganized mockery of Christianity, the
embodiment of Satanic principles which made it, with the Pope as its
key representative, the very essence of antichrist. However, as people
have focused on the antichrist over the centuries, their perspective has
been a little warped and to a great extent they have missed a most
important point. Most of those who have identified the Papacy as the
antichrist, have focused on the persecutions carried out by this power
against Christians along with the changing of the law of God and
the massive introduction of pagan practices into the worship of Roman
Catholicism.
“Antichrist” in the Bible
It is most interesting to note, however, that the word “antichrist,”
is never used in the Bible in connection with any of these well known
works of the Papacy which most Christians focus on. The word
“antichrist,” is mentioned only four times in the Bible and in every
place it refers to a false teaching concerning Christ.
The word “antichrist” is first mentioned in 1 John 2:18. Here it says,
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we
know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18)
From this verse we can learn a little of the understanding which the
early Christians had concerning the antichrist. First of all, they
believed in a great antichrist or antichristian power which would arise
sometime in the future during the last days. John stated that there were
already (in his days) many antichrists and to him, this was an evidence
that they were living in the “last time,” or the last days.
It is evident that John believed in a single great antichrist power.
He said, “ye have heard that antichrist (or the antichrist) shall come.”
This was the understanding of John and those early Christians. Yet
already some people had arrived on the scene to whom John referred as
“antichrists.” If they were not the antichrist, why does he refer to
them as “antichrists?” Is not the main idea of antichrist primarily that
of (a) an eschatological figure (appearing at the end of time)? (b) a
destroyer of Christians by persecution?
Evidently, there is another, more fundamental identifying
characteristic of the antichrist. So fundamental is this identifying
quality that even when a person does not live at the end (as in John’s
time) and is not actively persecuting God’s people, yet he may still
bear the name and character of antichrist if he possesses this
particular quality. What is this key identifying characteristic of
antichrist?
Marks of an antichrist?
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)
The first teaching of this verse is an obvious one. It hardly seems
necessary to mention it, and yet, in light of the tremendous deception
which has overwhelmed Christendom, we point out that John says that
antichrist is a liar. It is fundamental to the spirit and principles of
antichrist that he is opposed to the truth. This principle is the
foundation of his kingdom and therefore, in his teachings we look for
lies at every turn. We should be careful about believing what he says.
First Lie
What is his first lie? He denies that Jesus is the Christ (the
anointed one). Such a teaching would be understandable if John was
referring to the heathen who deny this. It would also be simple to
comprehend if he was speaking of the Jews who also deny this. But he is
speaking of neither a Jew nor a heathen teacher. The term and the
concept of antichrist suggest one who works from within (2 Thess. 2:4; 1
John 2:19). He is a professed Christian who sits in the Christian
church. This is why it is so amazing to see the things which he denies.
His teachings deny the messiahship of Jesus!!
Second Lie
His second lie is that he denies the Father and the Son. How does he
do this? Does he deny (a) the reality of their existence (B) the
Father/son relationship which exists between them.
It is highly improbable that this is suggesting that he denies the
existence of the Father and the Son. Nobody professing to be a Christian
could deny such a thing. It is far more likely that what John is saying
is that the antichrist denies the fatherhood of God in relation to the
Son, Jesus Christ.
Third Lie
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and
this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should
come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:2-3)
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an
antichrist. (2 John 1:7)
The third lie of antichrist mentioned, is the denial that Jesus Christ
came in the flesh. What is implied by this term “in the flesh?” For
many years there has been a heated debate within the Seventh-day
Adventist community concerning this verse. Some say that when Jesus came
to this earth He took the unfallen, sinless nature of Adam before he
committed sin. The other party insists that He took the fallen sinful
nature of man which developed after Adam transgressed. They point to
these verses here in John as a warning against the belief that Jesus
took the sinless nature of Adam before he fell. They claim that the
term, “in the flesh,” signifies that he took sinful flesh, or, fallen
flesh, meaning that He took the nature of man, suffering as it was from
four thousand years of degeneracy. They point to other verses in the
Bible where the term, “the flesh,” is used to suggest a person in a
sinful state or with a sinful mind. (see for example Rom. 7:5, 18).
However, this term, “in the flesh,” has another meaning in the Bible,
and when we carefully examine these statements of John and examine the
Papal antichrist in light of these statements, it is evident that we are
to apply the other meaning to this phrase.
“In The Flesh”
What is the other meaning of the phrase? In this other usage, it
simply means that He was actual flesh and blood. In other words, He was
not a spirit, or a supernatural being. The term, “in the flesh” is used
with this meaning in the following verses:
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit: (1 Pet 3:18)
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm
yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the
flesh hath ceased from sin; (1 Pet 4:1)
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace
and truth. (John 1:14)
What John is telling us is that Jesus was an actual human being. The
term “in the flesh,” signifies literal humanity. To fully appreciate the
truthfulness of what I am saying we need to understand some of the
misconceptions concerning the Christ which people held during the time
of the apostles. Some of the statements made by the Jews from time to
time give us clues as to some of the ideas they had concerning the
Messiah. It was the failure of Jesus to meet all these expectations
which puzzled His disciples and led many of the Jews, and later apostate
Christians (1 John 2:19) to deny that He was the Christ.
Misconceptions about Christ.
Let us examine the four passages below as we look at these false expectations of the Jews.
a) They believed that Christ would be immortal. He could not die.
The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ
abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up?
who is this Son of man?(John 12:34)
b) They believed that Christ would be omniscient knowing all things.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called
Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. (John 4:25)
c) They believed that Christ would have no origin.
Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. (John 7:27)
d) They believed that Christ would possess supernatural power.
And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh,
will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? (John
7:31)
Two Errors: One Foundation
What is the common element which runs through all these expectations?
What misconception is evident as we look at these verses? It is clear
that the Jews expected the Messiah to be a supernatural superman. They
expected someone who was far more than a human being. Someone who in
fact was a spirit, or in other words, one who did not come “in the
flesh.” The fact is, Jesus was too human for some of them (1 John 2:22).
In their estimation He was too human and these were the people who
denied that He was the Christ.
On the other hand there were others who accepted that He was the
Christ but who insisted that Jesus was not fully a human being (1 John
4:2). They taught that He did not come “in the flesh,” but that He was a
supernatural being. Why did they teach this?
They believed He could not have done the things which He did unless He
was a superhuman being. The mighty works of God through Him convinced
them He was not a flesh being.
In one case, he was too human for them to accept Him and in the other
case, His works were too superhuman for them to believe that He was
fully human.
What is the common error which we find here? What is the consistent
element which runs through the belief of both these groups of people?
Both were teaching different things. One said, Jesus was not the Christ.
The other said, He was the Christ, but He was not human. Both errors
were founded on the same basic false belief. What was it. It was that
both groups believed in a supernatural Christ. Both groups believed in a
Messiah who was more than human. Somebody whose chief identity would be
His power and supernatural abilities rather than His pure spotless
character.
The underlying spirit of antichrist is the spirit which holds to the
concept of a supernatural Messiah. Here we see the very essence of Roman
Catholic philosophy, the idea that the main evidence of divinity is
supernatural deeds (miracles) rather than purity of character. No matter
how holy a person might have been, no matter how much good he might
have done, he cannot be canonized or made a saint in the Roman Church
unless several miracles have been associated with him either during his
lifetime or after death.
It is in Roman Catholicism that we find an emphasis on relics, little
items which have some connection with some “holy person,” and which
supposedly are invested with some miraculous power. It is in this system
that we find apparitions of Mary or other dead people which are eagerly
accepted as an evidence of divine interaction with humanity.
This is the predominating spirit or principle of antichrist. An
emphasis on power rather than character. Let us consider this point
carefully and prayerfully because it is a most important point.
False beliefs which follow
This concept of a Christ who was more than flesh and blood leads
immediately to other false doctrines which hit at the very foundation of
Christ’s work. Some of these were:
a) The belief that Christ could not really die.
b) The belief that we need a mediator who is truly human (Christ is not, therefore we need Mary and the saints.)
c) The concept that it was Christ alone who suffered (since it was merely physical pain) rather than Himself and the Father.
d) The belief that all that Christ suffered was the physical pain of
the beating and the crucifixion because as God, He possessed all
knowledge and had full awareness of what was really happening. Even His
cry, “my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?” was simply a part of a
well orchestrated act, rather than the bewildered cry of a suffering
Son. If Jesus was possessed of all these powers, then He could have
known no real separation from His Father. He could have felt no real
distress of mind at the prospect of God forsaking Him at Calvary. All
that He could have suffered is the physical pain on account of His
having assumed a human body.
It is interesting to note that the movie, “The Passion,” directed by
the Catholic Mel Gibson, focuses on the physical suffering of Jesus.
Those who have watched it have been moved by the brutal punishment which
was inflicted upon Him as portrayed in the movie. But that is as far as
it can go. For a Roman Catholic, who believes that Jesus was the second
person of a three-part God, there could have been nothing else than
that Jesus put on flesh so that He could, and did feel physical pain.
The emotional and spiritual agony which He experienced and which were
infinitely more terrible cannot be perceived by those who believe that
He possessed all the knowledge and power of the almighty God while He
was here in human form.
The Trinity Doctrine is antichrist
The Bible declares the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience,
immortality and immutability as being characteristics which are
exclusive to God. They are fundamental to His being and cannot be
separated from Him. Those who declare that Jesus is a part of a
Trinitarian God have no option but to believe that He was in possession
of all these attributes while He was here on earth and that all He did
was to assume a human garb, while He remained on the inside, the
omnipotent God. This really denies the fact that Jesus came, “in the
flesh.” It is in fact the very essence of the spirit of antichrist. It
is the belief that Christ was a supernatural superman.
Was Christ a supernatural being?
Some have suggested that Jesus was indeed possessed of all the powers
of divinity while He was here on earth, but that He never once used
these powers. It is necessary to say that He never used His powers,
because of the reasons mentioned above. Did Jesus have these powers or
did He not have them? And if He had them, did He ever use them?
If Jesus had all these powers available, what is to prevent someone
from concluding that Jesus must have secretly used His powers in order
to overcome temptation? What is to prevent those who are beaten by sin
to come to the conclusion that we can never overcome sin while we remain
in the flesh? We are left with a gray area which Satan can and has used
mightily to his advantage. Many Christians have come to the conclusion
that victory over sin is impossible in this life and that the best we
can do is to resist the more gross sins. When Jesus is pointed to as an
example of a person who overcame all sin, they reply, “but you see,
Jesus was God!”
Back in the 1960s a man by the name of John Griffin wrote a book
entitled “Black Like Me.” This man was a white man but he injected
himself with a chemical which changed the colour of his skin so that he
passed for a black man. For several weeks (maybe months) he lived in the
southern part of the United States in his assumed identity and
experienced first hand the bigotry, hate, segregation and prejudice
which was an accepted fact of life for a black person in those days. At
the end of his experience he had a much better understanding of the
problems which faced the black race in America. No doubt he also
experienced the bitterness, the feelings of resentment, which seethed in
them constantly as they were treated as second class citizens.
In spite of his close empathy with the black man’s experience,
however, John Griffin was never quite exactly in the same position as a
black man. He did not have the same heritage, he had not spent half of
his life growing up in the ghettos, having his character moulded by
deprivation, desperate circumstances and the heritage of hundreds of
years of enslavement and oppression. Always behind the mask of his black
face there was the internal security of knowing that he really was one
of the privileged class, that this assumed personality was only a façade
which he could shed at any moment. Even the negative treatment which he
received was not really aimed at him, for that was not really who he
was. It was only aimed at the person whom he represented.
Was this how it was with Jesus? Was He possessed of a self-identity in
a divine alter-ego, different from the human being who walked this
earth as Jesus Christ? Was He simply God wearing a human body, or did He
BECOME as the Bible says, a human being? Let us not miss the point. It
is possible that Jesus could have possessed divine powers in Himself and
never used them, but the very fact that He possessed them would have
ruined the purpose for which He came.
A Valid Demonstration
The life of Jesus was intended to demonstrate what divinity was really
like. It was to show to men and the universe that God is perfectly good
by nature, and that no afflictions or adverse circumstances will ever
make Him move from His principles of pure and perfect love. The devil
tried to make out that He was an untrustworthy Person who was only
interested in exalting Himself and keeping down His creatures.(Gen.
3:5). Jesus came to prove that these accusations were false.
In order for Jesus to show what God was really like it was necessary
that He should be placed in situations where He was truly tempted to do
wrong. He had to face circumstances where His life was threatened, where
He would seem to have no option but to do something which was not based
on selfless love. He had to be assaulted by temptations which He would
not know beforehand how to deal with. In other words, He had to be put
in situations where His true nature would be clearly revealed.
Situations where it would be plain for all to see what His true
character was.
This demonstration could not have been valid if Jesus had possessed in
Himself divine powers. The very idea behind a demonstration is that it
must be foolproof. It must be carried out in such a way that there is no
room for trickery or deception. It must be plain to those who observe
that the conditions are such that what they are watching can only be a
genuine demonstration with all the factors clearly on the table.
We may say that He did not use these powers, but how can we prove
this? How could we demonstrate that Jesus really never used His divine
powers to help Him to overcome sin? How can we establish the fact that
He did not call upon divine reserves when He was tempted, when He was in
trouble – how can we prove that the revelation of God in Jesus Christ
was not simply a great act?
Once Jesus rebuked His disciples for having little faith when they
were on the sea and the boat was in danger of sinking. This rebuke was
quite in order if Jesus was in the same position as the disciples. All
He would have to depend upon was the good-will of His Father. His rebuke
would be saying, “how could you doubt that your heavenly Father will
take care of you?” However, if Jesus possessed divine power in Himself
which He could exercise at any moment, then His disciples might have
been justified in saying, “it’s o.k. for you to talk. You have the
ability to escape at any moment, but we don’t.”
Consider a group of men in a plane which is going down. Most of them
are panic stricken, but one of them is calm and unafraid. He rebukes the
others for their fear and tells them to trust. Yet, how much weight can
his words have when it is discovered that he is the only one on board
who has a parachute! How much more convincing would be his words if all
of them are in the same dilemma, yet he encourages them to be unafraid
and remains calmly serene.
The truth is that this concept that Jesus had the power in Himself,
but never used it, is in keeping with the underlying principle of the
antichrist’s teaching. It represents Christ as one who was, in Himself
possessed of powers which were not available to the normal human being.
It opens the door for Satan’s accusation that Jesus’ victory over sin
was not that of a human being who was truly tempted as we are, but that
of a God who carried out an elaborate sham.
The evidence of divinity
The Bible and the writings of Ellen White insist on the full humanity
of Jesus in the incarnation. In fact, the apostle John declares that
those who suggest that He was more than human are possessed of the
spirit of antichrist. The word of God never ever points to the miracles
which Jesus performed as the evidence of His divinity, they are only
pointed out as the evidence that the Father was at work in Him. (John
14:11; John 14:10)
Yet there is no question that Jesus was not exactly like us in every
respect. Though He was fully human, yet, paradoxically, He was still
absolutely divine. There was something about Him which set Him apart
from every other human being as the sun is set apart from the light of a
firefly (Isa. 9:2). What was this difference if He was not possessed of
almighty power?
It was the quality of His life. The Bible points to the life of
infinite purity which He lived, as the evidence that He was the Son of
God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace
and truth. (John 1:14)
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6)
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
Jesus did not lay aside the divine character and nature. This He had
to retain if He was to truly demonstrate what God is really like. But
certainly He laid aside His divine power.
Christ’s humanity
The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden
chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is
to be our study. Christ was a real man; he gave proof of his humility
in becoming a man. Yet he was God in the flesh. When we approach this
subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at
the burning bush, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground.” We should come to this study with
the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the
incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher
who digs deep for hidden truth. {YI, October 13, 1898 par. 6}
The Fruit of The Gospel
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven,
having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he
cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen,
is fallen, . . . . And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues. (Rev 18:1-4)
The coming of this mighty angel has long been expected by Christians
and particularly those who have some connection with Seventh-day
Adventism. Here is a promise that at some point the work of God is to
receive great power to enable the truth to be spread mightily. At the
moment the work of God languishes and the population of planet earth is
growing at a far greater pace than is the spreading of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. What is the reason why God delays in sending this angel?
Is it that there is no need for such power in His work, or is there some
other reason?
At first, in reading this passage in Revelation I misunderstood it, as
I am sure many others have. I thought that the glory which was to
lighten the earth was the message of the angel, which said, “Babylon is
fallen …. come out of her my people.” And I must confess that I bent
all my energies at one point in seeking to give that message, hoping
that the power of God would eventually be added to my efforts. I
eventually came to see that I had missed a most important factor in the
message.
Notice that it says that the earth was lightened with the glory of
this angel, then he cried with a loud voice in calling God’s people out
of Babylon. It does not say that the message which he gives is the glory
which lightens the earth. Rather, the suggestion is that it is only
when the light of this glory floods the earth that the angel is able to
give the message to come out of Babylon. It is only then that Babylon
will be plainly identified in the light of that glory.
What is the significance of “glory” in the Bible, and particularly in
the New Testament? It refers to the character of God! When Moses asked
God to show him His glory, the Lord replied, “I will make all my
goodness pass before you …” (Exodus 33:18,19). This, and many other
passages emphasises the truth that the glory of God is found in His
character.
So what we see here is a different perspective of Revelation 18. The
delay in the coming of the angel, the tardiness in the finishing of the
work, the lack of power attending the truth, is not a result of God
wishing to prolong the agony. It is simply due to the fact that God’s
people have been more interested in the power, than the character of
God. The great question before us today is not how to get more power,
but the greatest, and indeed the only question is, “how may we obtain
the character of God?”
The word of God gives us an answer
to this question. It shows us a way. In spite of the fact that we have
been sidetracked and have gone far from the mark, it is possible for us
to find the true focus. It is possible – in fact it is certain that it
will happen – that some of us will finally fix our eyes on the right
place and so God will be able to give us the power necessary to finish
the work, because finally we will have the character to go with the
power.
God is not short of power. Power was never, and will never be an issue
in the finishing of the work. But God has not been able to find
Christians anywhere who were fit vessels, so surrendered to Him, so much
like Him that He was able to entrust them with His power.
The challenge before us, brothers and sisters, is to faithfully follow
the method outlined in the word of God which will lead us to develop
the character of God. This method is clearly outlined in the Bible and
as sure as God lives, when we are ready to be used by Him, then the
power will come to finish the work, whether it be only one, or a
thousand who are ready.
A Critical Truth
Some have suggested that the truth about God not being a Trinity is a
minor distracting point. They say we should focus on the fundamentals
such as, the Sabbath, the state of the dead, the 2300 days, the Mark of
the beast, Health reform, etc. and not place so much emphasis on this
question which (they say) is so hard to understand. Those who take this
position manifest a lack of understanding which is pitiful. The
above-mentioned doctrines are surely important but they are definitely
secondary and subordinate to the truth about God. True love is the
ultimate fruit of the gospel. As Ellen White said,
“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself
in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly
reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His
own.” {COL 69}
Yet the only way that we can develop true love is by the holy spirit
reproducing it in our hearts as we behold the love of God. The problem
is, we cannot understand or appreciate the enormity of this love until
we realize that God is not a Trinity, but rather, that Jesus Christ is
truly His only begotten Son.
The truths of the Sabbath, the state of the dead, the sanctuary etc.
must be presented in the context of, and by people who have experienced
the wonder of God’s love. Without this, all we are doing is presenting
dry, empty legalism and propagating a system which can do no more than
produce Sabbath-keeping candidates for hell.
True Sonship and True Love
John emphasizes the preeminence of love over and over. He also
repeatedly points to the sonship of Jesus as the key truth which we need
to recognize. We cannot miss the connection between both things? Let us
look at the two following statements of John:
1 John 4:12: “…if we love one another, God dwelleth in us and His love is perfected in us.”
1 John 4:15: “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God.”
Notice that both verses mention a certain condition which, if
fulfilled, is an indicator that God is dwelling in us. These conditions
seem to be different, but in fact, they are inseparably united. Where we
find one, we can guarantee that the other also exists. What are these
two conditions?
(1) If we love one another.
(2) If we confess (believe) that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is the main point of what the apostle John is teaching in this
letter. It comes up over and over again. His main burden is that we
should love one another, but he plainly points out that it is not
possible for us to love one another unless we first appreciate how much
God loves us, and it is not possible for us to appreciate how much God
loves us unless we first appreciate the value of the gift which was
given and what it cost God to give, and, we cannot understand what it
cost God unless we recognize that it was His own dear Son, His only
begotten whom God gave. Then and only then will we recognize the value
and the worth of a human soul. Then and only then may we have some
understanding of the pain which comes to the heart of our Father when a
single soul is lost. Then will we be motivated to treat others in
accordance with the love which He has poured out upon us and upon them
and only then will we be ready to give the call to come out of Babylon.
The Revelation of Love
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through
him. (1 John 4:9)
God’s love was manifested: It was revealed, it was displayed, it was
opened up to the view of the world. This love was always there, but now
it was manifested or made known. In other words this was God’s statement
to mankind – His way of unveiling the true sentiment and attitude of
His heart.
Toward us: This display of love was directional. It was aimed
especially at humanity. The effort of God to unveil His love was with
the chief purpose of making it known to mankind
Because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world. Or, for
this reason. This is how we come to see God’s love, this is the way in
which it was manifested.
Who sent and who was sent
Who was it that sent, and what does it mean to say that He sent?
God sent. It was the Father who sent Jesus (John 5:23; John 5:30; John
6:44; John 12:49; Mark 12:6). Here, and in every other place where it
says that God sent His Son, there can be absolutely no question that the
person who “sent” is God the Father. Therefore, the emphasis here is on
God the Father. We are being directed to Him as our supreme Lord and as
the object of our supreme affection, desire and attention.
When it says that “God sent,” several ideas follow. Firstly, God
permitted His Son to come. It was His decision to make. He had the
authority and the right to permit or to forbid. This emphasizes the fact
that He, the Father is the supreme Being in heaven and the one who sits
at the ultimate pinnacle of all authority. Secondly, God sent or
determined that it should be so. It was His purpose, or His plan
(formulated in council with Christ). It was devised by them because of
their great love for the human race.
His only begotten Son: It was His only begotten Son that God sent. The
one whom He directed to go, the one whose loss He contemplated and
accepted was His only begotten Son. This was His identity at the time
when He was sent. When the Father contemplated the plan of salvation,
when He put humanity in the scales and weighed them in the balance, it
was His Son that He placed in the other side. He looked at Jesus with
the eyes of a Father, not an associate.
“Theologians” argue about the meaning of the term, “only begotten.” They
accept any meaning except the obvious one, that it means, “only born.”
Their preconceived misconceptions will not permit them to accept such an
idea. But if Jesus was not God’s true, begotten Son, then who was He?
What other options present themselves? Was He God Himself? Was He a
created angel?
If Jesus was God Himself, we face the question, how then did it become
the right and the prerogative of the Father to send Him into the world?
By what means did one Person in a three-part godhead receive such
authority over the other that He could command Him to go or to remain?
And what about the third Person? How is it that He had absolutely no say
in the matter? At least, if He did, the Bible writers appear to have
known nothing about it.
Jesus was sent into the world. God sent His Son into the world. How
incredible is the suggestion that Jesus never became the Son of God
until He was born in Bethlehem! The question is, “when was Jesus sent?”
Was it after He arrived on this earth or was it before He left heaven?
If language means anything at all, Jesus had to have been sent before He
left heaven. The word, “sent,” includes the giving of the instruction
to go, as well as the imparting of the means by which to go. While Jesus
was still in heaven He was directed by His Father to go. He was sent.
In obedience to His Father’s directive He arrived on earth.
The implications of Fatherhood
It is the instinct and duty of a Father to protect His Son. No matter
how mature and capable a son may become, a father can never forget the
joy and satisfaction he has experienced as he watched his son develop.
For a good father, his son represents his ultimate achievement – his
truest and most enduring legacy. Love, as much as duty creates an
instinct to protect and to preserve one’s child at all costs.
The father watches his life, his development from the first moment of
his existence and carefully guides and guards him at every step of the
way. It is only natural that a son should be the best-loved and most
cherished possession of a good father.
Some months ago I went swimming with my youngest child, my daughter
Annelie who is 17 years old. We had gone swimming at that spot several
times before, but this morning the sea was particularly rough and there
was a strong current which we failed to notice. I first became alarmed
when I noticed that the depth of the water was up to our necks and I was
having difficulty moving towards the shore. We had gradually drifted
out without noticing it. I called to Annelie that we should head towards
shore and I watched with a growing sense of horror as I realized that
she was being pulled irresistibly outwards by a current which was much
stronger than she was. I moved across to where she was and tried to
help, but the outward pull of the current was stronger than we were, and
in addition we were being buffeted by large waves.
Several things about that experience will live in my mind forever.
Firstly, my daughter had followed me so far out into the water because
she had confidence in me. I am a fair swimmer, but while she can swim
she is not a strong swimmer. Now here she was in trouble because of me,
because of trusting in me and I was absolutely helpless to help her. It
was a feeling I cannot describe and one I never wish to experience
again. At one point a huge wave washed over her and she cried out. I
felt as if a knife had been thrust into my heart.
I think I could have saved my life, but I had no doubt that we were
both going to die and that I would die first. There was no thinking or
considering. I knew that it was impossible that I should get back to
shore alive without Annelie. I would tread water as best as I could and
hold her up as long as I could, but I would never let her go. We would
both live, or I would die first. My instinct as a father told me this.
But of course I called upon God. Twice I cried out, “Lord, help us!”
The second time my foot hit against a high place on the sea floor. When
we scrambled up on it, the water was only waist high. From there we were
able to make our way back to shore.
That experience helped me to realize what God suffered when His Son
died. I think God allowed me to have that experience just so that I
could understand. His Son trusted in Him. In full confidence He entered
the deep waters, but when He got into difficulty and cried out to His
father, God had to turn away from that cry with a breaking heart. As
Jesus cried out in bewilderment, “my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?” the Father could not answer. He could offer no help. I know how
God felt at that moment! He must leave His Son to suffer, to die alone,
to be overwhelmed by the deep waters, bewildered, abandoned by the One
in whom He had trusted. He had to do it in order that I could be saved.
This is what we are asked to contemplate when we are told that God loved
us so much that He gave His Son.
The point is, it was a great sacrifice for God. It cost Him greatly in
pain, suffering and tears to give His Son. What else can be the
suggestion intended by pointing to the gift of God’s Son as the greatest
manifestation of the Father’s love?
This is in contrast to the concept of an associate, a fellow God, one
who was a dear friend, but not one who was a personal responsibility.
Not one whose decision whether to go or to stay, depended on the
approval of the Father.
God’s Feelings
God cannot be affected on the physical level. No contrary force in the
universe may ever dream of opposing the omnipotence which is God, in a
physical way. The only way in which God can be affected by others in a
positive or negative way is in His feelings. Think about it. There is
absolutely no other way. Since God’s feelings are the only level on
which He may be affected, and since the sufferings of a son is the most
terrible pain which can come to a father, we can understand that the
almighty God has been stirred to the utmost degree by His feelings for
us and has paid a price in pain and suffering which could not possibly
have been greater for Him.
This was for humanity.People who believe in God as an almighty,
unfeeling force cannot accept His mercy or His grace. For them, this
plays no part in a relationship with Him. This is why relating to God is
such a challenge for the heathen; an experience which must be sought
with such extreme and meaningless exercises, because, for them, they
must get in touch with a force, rather than a thinking, feeling, loving,
sympathetic person.
The best for the worst
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)
The apostle John reinforces the point: In this is love – here we can
see love, or this is what love is all about. The contrast is made
between what He did and what we did not do. On the one hand, here we
were, the most unworthy and undeserving. We did not love God – we had no
affection for Him. But He loved us. Loved us how? To what degree? He
sent His Son. By making this contrast John intends that we should see
how great is the gap between what we were and the love God had for us.
He emphasizes our poverty, our unworthiness, our wretchedness – the
lowest of the low. In contrast he highlights the love of God towards us –
a wondrous, improbable thing, as high as the heavens are above the
earth. How can we know and believe in that love? How may we perceive the
magnitude of it? It is by appreciating, by recognizing the value of the
gift which He gave for us. He, the Father paid a price, He made a
sacrifice in proportion, not to our unworthiness, but in proportion to
His love. That price is the measure of God’s love to us. What was that
price? It was His only begotten Son. That is the measure of God’s love.
That is the price He paid. Only as we believe and accept this truth may
we truly appreciate the kind of love which God has for us. If we suggest
that Jesus was anybody other than God’s only begotten Son, we mar the
truth and obscure God’s revelation of His love.
The Reasons for our Love
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God . . . (1 John 4:7)
There is a reason for true love. There is a cause and a motivation for
the care, concern and attitude of good-will which Christians manifest
towards each other (or ought to manifest). What is this reason? The
reason is … love is of God. Since we are the property of God and live
our lives in Him, then what could be more natural, reasonable and to be
expected, than that we should love one another?
. . . and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He
that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:7,8)
Though John gives us a command to love one another, he here shows us
that there has to be an underlying cause before this command can be
obeyed. It is only those who are born of God who can love. It is only
those who know Him who are able to obey this command to love one
another. On the other hand, nothing can be more natural than that those
who know God should love one another, because, “God is love.” It is the
very essence of His nature, the foundation of His being. Those who
encounter Him cannot help being encompassed and infused with this love.
Therefore, he that knoweth God will love his brother, and he who does
not love his brother reveals by this lack that he does not know God.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:11)
Love is imparted through contact with God. More than that, however,
love is demanded by the recognition of God’s love for us. If God did, we
ought to. This is the argument which John proposes. In other words, the
root, the foundation, the rationale for the love which binds God’s
people together and which is the very mark which identifies us as God’s
people, is the fact that God “so loved us.” The fact that God loved us
to such a degree. What was this degree?
God so loved
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:11)
Here is the foundational argument for Christian behaviour. Paul
expressed it when He said, “the love of Christ constraineth us.” He
emphasized the love of Christ but John emphasizes the love of the
Father. His statement is, “if God so loved us.” The emphasis here is on
the degree and the quality of that love. It was not simply that He loved
us, but that He SO loved us. Again, reference is being made to the gift
which God gave, to the sacrifice which He made.
Let us consider for a moment: Love is not merely an abstract
principle, standardized and turned on or off at will. No. Love is an
active, living attitude which affects every aspect of a person’s being.
It masters the emotions and produces joy, ecstasy, grief, pain –
tremendous internal upheaval. Love can evoke many responses, but it is
never unfeeling or unmoved.
It is very important that we should see the significance of this. You
see, there is only one way in which it is possible to grasp the enormity
of God’s love and in doing this to be changed by it (1 Cor. 3:18). It
is by first of all understanding what God’s love for us impelled Him to
do for us. Love is only relevant if it acts. Love which is merely a
feeling is a meaningless frustrating thing. But when love acts, it can
be seen, it may be measured. How can we measure the love of God? What
action of His makes that love evident? It is in the action of God in
sending His Son that we can see the display of a wonderful, selfless
love, which changes us as we keep on looking at it.
As He loves
“If God so loved us …” What then is the most logical response than that
we who are the objects of such a love should also love the others who
are fellow recipients of that same love. (1 John 5:1). If God loves you,
then that is my reason for loving you, because by His love He has given
me the right and the duty to be an extension of Himself, to reveal Him
and to propagate His nature in all the world.
A further implication of this is that we who have received of His love
and partaken of His spirit should love as He loves (John 4:12,16). We
should “so” love as He “so” loved. Our love should be His love extended
through us, therefore it should be (a) unconditional (b) unchangeable
(c) self-sacrificing (d) giving (e) willing to suffer supreme pain and
loss for the well-being of others (f) willing always to put others
before ourselves.
Love is the ultimate purpose of the gospel. When a person reproduces
the love of God, then the gospel has nothing more to do for him. The
Bible has fulfilled its purpose for Him.
“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was
to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King
of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled,
“Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12); when we love the
world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We
are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts. {DA 641}”
This truth, that love is the ultimate, and in fact the only legitimate
fruit of the gospel needs to be repeated over and over again until we
fully grasp the reality of it. Many of us see love as one of the
peripheral doctrines of the Bible and really feel that we need to
concentrate more on the “real issues,” such as The Sabbath, The Mark of
The Beast etc. Perhaps this attitude is strengthened by the fact that
the word “love,” is so abused and misused today by all and sundry that
even the abominable practice of homosexuality is justified in the name
of “love.” Popular Christian leaders and televangelists like to use the
word and have so distorted its meaning that almost anything is accepted
in the name of “love.”
However, these abuses are no reason for God’s people to neglect this
focus. The Bible makes it very clear, over and over again that love is
everything.
“The fruit of the spirit is love…” (Gal. 5:22)
“The greatest of these is love…” (1 Cor. 13:13)
“Above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectness. (Col 3:14)
Assurance in the judgment
Let us conclude by examining one final point which especially for
Seventh-day Adventists, is highly significant. It is found in verses 16
and 17:
“God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in
him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the
day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in the world.” (1 John
4:16,17)
This is a truth on which to meditate. Here is cause to pause for deep
reflection. Here we see a reason to reorient our entire lives. What is
it that gives us boldness in the judgment? Where does our confidence
lie? What is it that gives us the assurance that we are able to face the
scrutiny of the last great tribunal? Yes, it is what God has done for
me through Christ. This is true. However, the evidence that I have
accepted the gift of God is the fact that, “as he is, so are we in this
world.” It is the fact that we “dwell in God,” by dwelling in love –
that is, by living our lives wholly and completely for the purpose of
loving others – and in this way, perfecting love. When the day of
judgment comes we will have no fear (John 4:18). We know that we have
His character and are ready for heaven because we love as He does.
Jamaica Campmeeting, 2004
Thursday, April 8 – Monday, april 12
Campmeeting this year will be at the Youth With a Mission (Y.W.A.M.) Campsite in Manchester, just about 20 minutes drive away from Mandeville.
Directions: When you get to Mandeville, take the road which leads towards Northern Caribbean University (formerly West Indies College). This is the same road which leads to Newport. Travel along this road for approximately 8 miles. Along the way you will pass Knockpatrick and Newport. After passing Newport continue along the main road for approximately 2 – 3 miles until you come to a fork in the road. The left turn will take you to Cross Keys while if you continue on the right you will be on the road to the Alligator Pond. Turn left on the Cross Keys road and drive along this road for about a half mile until you come to a gateway with two prominent stone pillars on which is written, “Stone’s Hope.” This is the entrance to the campsite.
Our main speakers for the campmeeting will be David Sims of California and Dr. Steven Burks of Ohio. In addition we will have the usual contributions from our Jamaican speakers.
Things to take with you
Eating utensils, Food to take care of your meals, Bedding, Drinking water, Bible, notebook, pen. You may also take a tent if you do not wish to sleep in the dormitories. There is ample space for pitching tents.
Open Face is published bi-monthly and is sent free to all who desire to receive it.
David Clayton: Editor and Publisher
P. O. Box 23 Knockpatrick
Manchester, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (876) 904-7392
email: david@restorationministry.com
